GenIC_Index Click Test 2013

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0920-0956)

T ITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

Testing of sample materials developed using the CDC Clear Communication Index

PURPOSE:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seeks to obtain Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to conduct user testing of sample materials developed using the CDC Clear Communication Index (or exemplar materials). The CDC Office of the Associate Director for Communication (OADC) developed the Clear Communication Index (Index) to aid staff in evaluating how well their communication products conform to research-based clear communication practices. The Index includes a set of standardized criteria to assess and score materials – providing staff an alternative to readability formulas and plain language checklists.

CDC is requesting OMB approval to collect feedback on the newly created exemplar materials to assess target audiences’ attitudes and opinions about materials that have been revised using the Index. Online click testing will be used to collect feedback on the content and design of the Index-designed materials. This will allow the project team to collect specific feedback on each exemplar material in order to make necessary revisions.

Click testing is a technique used for gathering quick and specific feedback on materials or web designs. CDC will use Verify (verifyapp.com) for the testing. The Verify software provides user feedback including a “heat map” of where participants expect to find specific types of information. The software also gathers participant feedback on specific labels, sections of content, and visual design elements. Based on these findings, the project team will make edits and improvements to the materials.

We have included more detailed information in the Click Testing Protocol at the end of this request (Attachment 1). The Click Testing Protocol explains our methods—how we will conduct the click testing. It includes an overview of our testing objectives, the target audiences, and the different tasks in Verify that will be used in this study. The Protocol also outlines the prompts that participants will be asked during each click testing session.

We have also included screen shots of each question and prompt in the Verify software (Attachment 2).

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Click-testing participants are members of specific CDC audiences for the exemplar materials. The 32 participants fall into four target audiences:

• 8 clinicians (doctors and nurses)

• 8 CDC partners (staff government and nonprofit organizations who often partner with CDC)

• 8 public health department staff (state and local)

• 8 policymakers (congressional liaisons and state and local decision makers).

Each participant will evaluate two exemplar materials during the click testing session—meaning participants will get the same set of questions twice. Questions will not vary by participant or by material.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ x] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software) [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name:_Dr. Cynthia Baur

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [X] Yes [ ] No

Participants in the clinician group will be paid $40 for their participation. From past experience conducting similar testing with clinicians for CDC and NIH, offering an incentive as a token acknowledgement is helpful for recruiting clinicians and ensuring they participate in a timely manner.

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time (in hours)	Burden Hours
Clinicians (Doctors and Nurses)	8	20/60	2.66
CDC Partners	8	20/60	2.66
Public Health Department Staff	8	20/60	2.66
Policy Makers	8	20/60	2.66
Totals	32		11

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $_6,800_

Staff or Contractor	Hours	Average Hourly Rate	Cost
Sandra Williams Hilfiker (Contractor), Subject Matter Expert	5	$130	$650
Deliya Banda (Contractor), Project Manager, Research Lead	15	$130	$1950
Huijuan Wu (Contractor), Senior Usability Researcher.	30	$100	$3000
Caroline Conena (Contractor), Project Coordinator	15	$55	$825
Cynthia Baur (FTE)	5	$75	$375
Totals	70		$6800

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [x ] No

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [ X] No